Sounders MF Osvaldo Alonso wins red card appeal

In a week in which the Sounders are dealing with an unusually high number of injuries—“In five years here in Seattle, it’s probably the worst injury run that we’ve had, cumulatively. It seems all to have hit at sort of the same time,” Sounders coach Sigi Schmid said—the club got some good news Wednesday.

Midfielder Osvaldo Alonso, the Sounders’ team MVP each of the last three seasons, had the red card he received last weekend rescinded by an independent review panel, meaning he is eligible to play in Saturday’s game against Colorado.

According to a league press release, the review panel “determined that the contact Alonso made with San Jose defender Dan Gargan did not reach the required threshold for violent conduct, i.e. brutal or excessive force.”